


Broken Heroes

by projectseraphim



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-16
Updated: 2012-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-29 15:45:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/321529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/projectseraphim/pseuds/projectseraphim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two old friends share a drink.  And then they share something more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Broken Heroes

**Author's Note:**

> For my Knight Commander.

The bite of whisky was just what David Anderson needed.  So many things tumbled down on him, council meetings, bureaucratic bullshit, not the least of which was caused by Donnel Udina, all of it pressed down on his shoulders and made him feel small.  And there was only so much joy that punching Udina square in the gut could bring in a single day, so whisky helped fill the gap sometimes.

He drank too much, he knew that.  Anderson was many things, but he wasn’t stupid.  Self-awareness did nothing to deter his drinking though, instead, he rationalized it.  _‘When life gives you lemons…’_ he thought to himself, bitterly, _‘Well, my life gave me a position that comes with a home with an impressive bar.  I may as well enjoy it.’_ This wasn’t how he imagined spending life after the military, being tossed about in the political storm that was the Citadel Council.  Anderson missed life on starships; he missed the marines and the structure and the missions.  He missed Shepard.

Shepard.  Commander Jane Shepard.

An ice cold knot twisted in his stomach.  For two years, he thought she was dead, gone forever.  Then dark rumors arose followed shortly by her marching into his office as if nothing happened.  Or as if everything happened, he couldn’t tell.  He didn’t know whether to kiss or kill her, so he opted for neither and had the council reinstate her to the Spectres.  She deserved to be a Spectre, deserved to be out there fighting.  She asked him to come with her.  He wanted to, oh God, he wanted nothing more than to tell those overdressed, overhyped aliens to get stuffed and let Udina take over.  But he didn’t.  He was an old, broken hero.  The galaxy didn’t need him anymore.  It needed her.

Anderson sunk down into his sofa with his drink and picked up the data pad that lay next to him.  It was Chief Williams’ report from Horizon.  The colony was attacked by Collectors and nearly everyone was taken.  Williams was very professional in her report, but he could tell she was upset by Shepard’s sudden appearance.  She pointed out that she should have been informed, but Anderson knew that she knew how the real world worked. 

No one ever got what they wanted.

He tossed the data pad onto the table and sipped his drink.  The familiar dull burn in his throat was a strange kind of comfort.  His head dropped back and his eyelids drifted closed as he tried to relax and forget his day.  Forget the Council.  Forget Cerberus.  Forget that no one ever got what they wanted.  Sleep may have even come to claim him if the apartment’s VI didn’t speak up.

“Councilor Anderson, you have a guest.”

Anderson sat up and rubbed his worn face with his hand, “Let them in, Eve.”  He stood to greet whoever was walking through the foyer and into the living room.  He could feel his heart nearly jump out of his chest when he saw her. 

“Hello, Captain.”

"Shepard!" He almost didn't recognize her for a moment.  Her wine-colored hair was loose around her face and she was dressed as a civilian, albeit a very fashionable one, with her leather pants and jacket.  "It's nice to see you.  What are you doing here?"  He was suddenly self-conscious, straightening his collar and setting his glass down.

Shepard clasped her hands in front of her, “Needed to get away from the ship for a while and I thought I could share a drink with an old friend.”  Her sniper’s eyes flicked down to his half-empty glass on the table, “I see you were already enjoying one.”

Anderson’s cheeks flamed, embarrassed that she saw him this way, “I was just unwinding from a long day of meetings and policies.  What can I get you?”  He made his way over to the bar along the wall, nerves and anxiety tightening his chest. 

“Scotch, if you have it.”  She slid her jacket off and laid it over the back of a nearby chair.  The long black sleeves of her shirt clung to her toned arms as she raked her fingers through her hair, “I take it you heard about Horizon.”

Anderson poured three fingers of scotch over ice into a glass and handed it to her, “Williams sent me the report.  Sounded rough out there.”

Shepard took the glass and thanked him as she sat down, “That’s an understatement.”  She took a long, slow sip before speaking again, “I ran into Williams on Horizon.  Alliance outreach was the best story you all could come up with?”

Anderson sat down next to her, “I’m sorry, Shepard.  We couldn’t take any chances.  Not with Cerberus involved.”

Her knuckles turned white as she squeezed her glass, “Cerberus.  Is that all people see when they look at me?  The price for coming back to life is dealing with the devil.   And everyone hates me for it.  Especially Williams.  Maybe she’s right, I did betray the Alliance. If my squad on Akuze could see me now…”  Her shoulders dropped and she hung her head slightly, as if the entire galaxy was pressing down on her.

Defeat was not a good look for Shepard; Anderson couldn’t bear to see it.  Without thinking, he reached out and gently brushed the hair out of her eyes, “I don’t hate you.”

Shepard smiled weakly and looked up at him, “Thanks, Captain.”

“David,” he said as he picked his glass back up and took another slow swallow.  “I’m not a captain anymore, and we’ve known each other long enough.  Just call me David.”

She nodded her head and looked around the living room, “So this is where they keep you when you’re not stuck in the tower?”

Anderson chuckled and shook his head, “Being a councilor is kinda like being a bird in a cage, but at least they gave me a gilded one.  It’s got a good bar, too.” He raised his glass to her and then downed the rest of the whisky.  “I keep thinking that I should have taken you up on your offer to go to the Terminus Systems.”

Shepard took his glass and stood up, walking over to the bar, “Offer stands, if you want it.  It would be nice to have a familiar face that doesn’t look at me like I’m a traitor.” 

Anderson watched her as she looked through the bottles on the counter top. She was beautiful.  She had always been beautiful.  Always been strong.  Always been, well, Shepard.  A league of her own.  He could feel his blood heat as he watched her move. Leather clung to her long legs as she sauntered back to the sofa and handed him another glass of whisky.  He sipped and felt that familiar burn in his throat again, but this time, it wasn’t the only thing that warmed his insides.

“You’re always going be a hero to me, Commander.”

“Jane,” she said as she sat back down with a fresh glass of scotch.  “If you insist I call you David, I’m going to have to insist you call me Jane.”

Anderson laughed.  It was a genuine laugh, which was something he hadn’t felt in some time.  Shepard smiled at him broadly and it felt like a weight was lifting off of him.  “What you’re doing out in the Terminus Systems is important, Jane, whether the Council likes it or not.”

She took a long, slow sip of her drink, “It doesn’t feel that way sometimes.  Being with Cerberus…  I know what we are doing is… Hell, I don’t know how to explain it.  Two years is a long time to be gone.  Everything changed, even I changed.  Cerberus said they brought me back exactly as I was, but,” she turned to face Anderson, with tears beginning to well in her eyes, “I feel so different.”

He didn’t know what to say and they sat there in silence for a long moment.  Finally, he reached and brushed his thumb over a faint scar on her cheek, catching a tear, “If it is any consolation, they got your freckles right.”

Shepard erupted into a body shaking laugh, “I—I honestly don’t know how to respond to that.  Thank you…David.”  She regained her composure with a deep breath, “After everything that happened, after all that has been lost, I can sleep sound knowing that my freckles haven’t left me, too.”  She smiled and shook her head before finishing off her scotch.  “You always manage to make me feel better though, David.  Thank you.  I really mean that.”

The heat in Anderson’s blood was rising.  _‘It’s just the booze.  Get a hold of yourself.’_   He shifted, turning so he faced her fully, “When this is all over, Jane, it will all be worth it.  Just get done what you need to get done and then come back to me, err, us.  Come back to us, the Alliance.”  _‘Idiot!  You goddamn moron!’_

Shepard searched his face, “Capta—David, I—I…”  She trailed off, conflict reigned over her expression, “I want nothing more than to come back…to the Alliance.  But what if they won’t have me?”

His mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out.  Was she talking about what he was talking about?  Did she not hear his slip-up?  “They would be fools not to.  Jane you are the most incredible woman that they’ve ever known.”   He truly believed what he said, for both himself and the Alliance.  She really was an incredible woman.

She just looked at him, not saying anything.  He could tell she was thinking.  She always had a look about her when she was making a decision.  He found himself trying to read her mind, figure out what she was deciding.

He didn’t have to wait long to figure it out.

Shepard reached out and cupped his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.  His initial shock wore away quickly and he pulled her closer to him, returning the kiss.  His fingers worked into her hair as his mind warred with itself.  _‘What the hell are you doing?  This is stupid!  She’s young enough to be—oh just forget it.  What does it matter?  You’re broken.  She’s broken... No! You’re taking advantage!’_

He broke their kiss and pulled away, “Shepa—Jane…  Is this what you really want?”

Shepard leaned forward, resting her forehead against his, “This is the only thing that has felt right since they woke me up.  I am born out of battle,” she looked up at him, “and you are the only other person in this whole damn galaxy that can understand that.  So, yes, this is what I want.”  She kissed him again, harder than the first time, with greater urgency, a greater need.

His head was swimming.  It had been so long since, well, it had just been a long time.  She was warm and soft under his hands, arching into him, and wrapping her arms around his neck.  He was intoxicated by her kiss, not even caring if he ever came up for air.

Eventually, she did let him breathe again, but not for long.  Her deft fingers unfastened his collar and worked open the buttons of his shirt while she kissed him again and again.  Her hot fingertips brushed over the newly bared skin of his chest, cream against coffee-colored skin.  His heart was pounding in his chest, with equal parts passion and disbelief.  Was this really happening?

A gentle bite against his neck snapped him out of his thoughts and a low groan escaped him.  Yes, this was really happening.  His hands found their way their way under the hem of her shirt and began to inch it upward.  She broke away and pulled the garment off the rest of the way, tossing it aside.  His calloused palms slid over the firm skin of her back before resting on her rear and pulling her into his lap.

A wicked smirk spread across her face as she straddled him.  She yanked the rest of his shirt off and threw against the bar.  He kissed her neck and breathed her in, it was indescribable.  Shepard was truly an incredible woman. 

An incredible woman that deserved better than sex on a sofa.

Anderson was still a strong man, years of training and being a N7 marine made sure of that.  He stood up from the sofa, lifting her up with him.  She grinned and wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked toward the bedroom.  He called out, “Eve, night cycle, please.”

The synthesized voice of the VI answered, “Yes, Councilor.” 

The lights around them dimmed as they made their way down the hall.  Shepard brushed her lips over his earlobe, making him shudder in pleasure, and whispered, “Night cycle?”

“Yeah, turns the security system on and let’s Udina know that I’m not available and to piss off.”  He smiled and kissed her again before laying her down on his bed.  For a moment, he just stood there looking at her, lingering feeling of disbelief were clinging on to him.

Shepard obviously sensed his hesitation.  She sat up and hooked her fingers into his belt and pulled him to her.  Her warm mouth planted kisses over the flat planes of his stomach as she unbuckled the belt and let it drop to the floor.  Another shudder rippled through his body at her touch, he wanted her.  He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his entire life.

And if the painful resistance of the fabric of his trousers was any indication, she could see tell that he wanted her.  She smirked and unfastened his trousers and they dropped to the floor in a pool around his feet.

She pulled him down on the bed with her and they wrapped around each other in another long, deep kiss.  Anderson felt between them and unzipped her leather pants, which clung to her like a second skin.  He tried to pull them down, but was not having much luck. 

Shepard chuckled, “I wasn’t really prepared for this.  Let me help.”  She rolled away and stood up.  Hooking her thumbs into the waist, she pulled them down, revealing her creamy skin, inch by teasing inch.  All he could do was just watch in awe as her long legs were slowly revealed.

“You are beautiful, Jane.”

A blush crept across her cheeks and she crawled back onto the bed, coming back towards him.  She straddled him again and reached behind her, unhooking her bra and it fell away from her body.  Anderson reached for her, pulling her down to him.  He rolled her onto her back and kissed her neck.  Small gasps dripped from her as he kissed her neck and the hollow between her breasts.  His lips found her nipple erect as they brushed over the rosy flesh.  She arched up into him and moaned, gripping the back of his head. 

Anderson lingered around her nipples for a long moment, teasing them with his lips and tongue, making her moan and sigh underneath his touch.  Every sound she made set his nerves on fire.   Little by little, he made his way down her body, caressing every inch of her soft skin.  His fingers stopped at the waist of her panties and he pulled them away.  She lifted herself up to help him and soon she was completely bare before him.

Anderson had seen stars and planets and wonders that most people dreamed about.  But Shepard was by far and away the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen in his life.

She bit at her lower lip and watched him, her chest heaved with her heavy breaths.  Neither of them said anything.  Perhaps they didn’t need to, they just needed each other, and words didn’t need to get in the way.

Anderson kissed the juncture at the apex of her thighs.  Shepard wiggled under him, wanting him just as badly.  He sat up and brushed a thumb over her smooth folds, and found the slick heat between them.  A keening moan fell from her lips as her hips twisted against him.  His thumb circled her soft pearl, sending her into a stream of praises and moans.  Shepard worked her hips in a rhythm against his hand and her breathing became ragged.  She was tumbling toward the edge, and he wanted to be with her when she went over it.

He pulled his hand away and shed his boxers.  She grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed him into the mattress before lowering herself down onto him. She was warm and tight around him and he was lost for what felt like an eternity before his hands rediscovered her hips.  Shepard began to rise and fall against him and he thrust up to meet her.

They twined themselves in each other, in a mix of sighs and soft words.  Anderson had no sense of time or space.  He didn’t care.  The only thing that mattered was her.  No one got what they ever wanted, except for now.  Two broken heroes got what they wanted.

They got each other.

Shepard’s body seized and then shook as her ecstasy washed over her; and after a few more thrusts, Anderson joined her in a shattering climax.  She fell forward onto her hand and tried to catch her breath, just as he was.  He reached up and brushed her hair away from her face, smiling up at her.

She lay down next to him and curled into his chest and breathed a sigh of contentment.  Anderson wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head.  For the first time in two years, the broken pieces came together. 

For the first time, he was whole.


End file.
